Locking mechanism for post-binders



F. L. MANNY. LOCKING MECHANISM Foe Pos1 BINDAEHS.

. APPLxcATloN FILED ocr. 2. 1918. 1,331,516.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

FRED I. MANNY, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, AssIGNOR To BAKER-VAWTER COMPANY, OE BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR POST-BINDERS;

To all whom it may concern.'

`Be it known that I, FRED L. MANNY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Benton Harbor, in the countyy of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locking Mechanism for Post-Binders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to what are known as loose leaf binders designed to hold a body of separat-e perforated sheets of paper in the form of ledgers Aor other accountV books of the well known type in which one of the sides or covers is provided with a hinged clamping bar or iron equipped with a series of posts arranged to engage the perforations of the sheets and the other cover is provided with a similar hinged clamping bar equipped with means for locking it in any desired position of adjustment on said posts. Y f

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and reliable locking mechanism for the purpose mentioned which shall render it superior in some respects to any prior mechanism for the same purpose known to me and which shall be eiiicient and desirable for the use in view. Among the advantages eXhibited by my novel locking device it may be mentioned that the same mechanism with the same locking bolt may be used with clamping plates or irons varying in size, and this bolt will lock On any desired number of posts without modification of construction. My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and organization of cooperating parts making up my novel locking mechanism, the essential elements of which are recited in the appended claims, it being understood however, that modifications in details of the specific structure described may be made within the scope of such claims and without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Of the drawings Figure l is a plan view of the hollow clamping bar of the detachable cover of a binder, parts of the bar being broken away to show the mechanism housed therein; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitu dinal section of the same on the line 2 2 ot Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Feb 24, 1920 Application filed October 2, 1918. j Serial No. 256,495.

tions the f ma" be extended to an leno'th .l y e desired. The clamping bar or iron a of the detachable cover is a hollow composite structure consisting of an outer sheet metal plate 5 formed with recurved flanges 5a' at its opposite sides arranged to embrace the outwardly bent portions 6 of cooperating flanges on an inner plate 6. The plates 5 and 6 are formed with registering perforations arranged to receive the binder posts 2, which pass though the chamber between the plates adjacent one side thereof, leaving a space on the other side of posts in which is arranged a locking bolt 7. At a point intermediate two of the posts this bolt is formed with a bent portion 'l'a constituting a short crank, the outer surface or end of this crank having a short inward curve which is'provided with threads forming a segmental worm gear arranged to engage an operating screw to be hereinafter described. This bent portion of the bolt is cut away longitudinally as shown to permit a limited degree of oscillation to be imparted to the bolt, and the side of the bolt next the posts 2 is cut away to form a flat face which slidingly engages the posts when parallel with them.

The lock bolt is rotated to cause the flat face thereof to grip the posts and thereby lock them to the clamping bar structure by means of a turning key 9 rotatably mounted in the members of the clamping bar and equipped with a screw member 10. For convenience in manufacture and assembling the parts the key is formed with a square shank 10a which engages a square socket in said screw member, such member being secured thereto by means of a headed retaining screw 12. The thrust of this screw member 10 is received by the thrust washer As shown, the 'screw member 10 is a lefthanded screw `and When the face of the .locking 'bolt 1s Jarallel with the iosts-toy Jere l l l mit'sliding adjustnw he elampmgvbar structure thereon, the bent or crank -portionr oi the bolt lis in uppermost position. It is obvious that Withthis arrangement and construction of the-parts the bend 7 will be depressed' through the action ofthe screw and Worm gear by turning the key to right, and the bolt'will bevrotated to cause its flat face Vto impinge against the binder posts and'lock the clamping bar upon them.-

I claim:

l. In a loose leaf binder haring one cover equipped with binder posts `and the other Cover equipped with an oriticed clamping bar arranged to engage said posts, locking mechanism comprising a rotatable y bolt mounted longitudinally on the clamping bar andformed with an engaging face arranged to impinge against said posts when the-bolt is rotated,a segmental Worm gear on said' bolt, and a sci-env cooperating with said Worm gear to rotate 'the bolt.

2. In alooseleaf binder-having onel cover equipped with binder posts and the other cover equipped With an orificed clamping bar arranged to engage said posts, docking mechanism comprising a rotatable bolt mounted longitudinally on the clamping bar and `forrnedjwith an engaging face arranged to impinge against said posts when the bolt is rotated, said bolt Abeing .formed With a bend andthe bent portion 'formed With equipped With binder posts and the ether cover equipped v.Wi'th'fahollow oriced clamping bar arranged to engage said posts, locking mechanism comprising arotatable bolt housed -Within'V said bar and Iformed-With 'an engaging face .arrangedvto impinge against said lposts when the bolt is rotated, a manually operable key -journaled in the Vopposite Wallsotl saidclamping bar,5 and awormfgear connection intermediate-said key andbolt.

4. In a loose leaf binder ofthe character described, :locking lmechanismneeo'rding to clainif in'which the operatingkey'isformed with a polygonalshaft arranged to engage the -Worm rmember of theWVorm gear connection. 1

' EIna 'ioose'leat binder havingioneicover equipped With binder posts andthe other cover equipped with an oriced `clamping bar arrangedrto Vengage saidfposts, locking mechanism Ycomprising la iro'tatable bolt.

mounted longitudinallyonfthe. clamping bar and ormed'withl an engaging face arranged to impinge against said posts when the bolt is rotated, said `bolt'being provided With a segmental 1Worm gear, 4an operating key journaled "in the vopposite Walls of said clz'unpino` bar `and a 1 screw carried thereby arrange( lto cooperate-With saidiwormgear, and asupporting block formed with a a semicylindri'cal bearingface engaging said screw and arranged lbetween fsuclrscrew :and the adjacent wall otfthe-clamping'bar. Y FRED 2L. 'MAN'NYl 

